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Discussion
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Name
Instructor’s Name
Date
Discussion
Incident of Conflict
During my nursing career, one incident of conflict occurred on a busy medical-surgical unit when I was working with another nurse to coordinate patient care. Teams and clear communication were needed to meet the patient’s many demands, including regular vital sign and blood glucose monitoring. My colleague and I differed on drug delivery, information for patients, and task ownership. I thought patient acuity should determine duties, while my colleague thought they should follow the assignment sheet. This conflict erupted during a tough shift when the patient became unstable. Our inability to agree led to duplicated tasks in some areas and missed responsibilities in others, which increased tension between us and created unnecessary stress for the team. Although patient safety was preserved, poor communication and collaboration made the situation worse and left us disappointed and unsupported.
Factors Contributing to the Conflict
Several factors contributed to this conflict, making it more difficult to resolve in the moment and highlighting areas where professional practice could be improved.
Role Ambiguity: One of the central issues was the lack of clarity about role distribution. The assignment sheet included nurses’ patients but did not describe complicated or overlapping care duties. This confused who should teach and double-check high-alert drugs. Undefined borders led to conflicts.
Communication Breakdown: Effective teamwork in nursing depends on open and timely communication (Meneses-La-Riva et al., 2025). My colleague and I thought the other understood our strategy, but we did not discuss and reaffirm obligations. Misunderstandings led to repeated interventions in certain areas and neglect in others. Miscommunication caused conflict rather than cooperation.
Workload Stress: The unit was extremely busy that day, with multiple patients requiring urgent interventions. The stress of juggling many activities heightened emotions and lowered patience. Minor misunderstandings may grow into major disputes under stress (Konlan et al., 2023). We were too busy to gently establish duties and expectations, which escalated the disagreement.
Leadership Response
The nursing leader’s response was important in conflict management and resolution. When the tension was noticed, the charge nurse did not take sides or blame at once. After the shift, she took us into a separate room to discuss. She was keen to hear the views of every person, thus enabling the airing of frustrations without being cut short. Her ability to compromise tension and redirect attention towards patient safety by recognizing the strengths of each argument helped resolve the situation. The leader also stressed the value of communication by encouraging the setting of expectations at the start of each shift and the use of formal handoff instruments to reduce misunderstandings. She also reminded us that high-demand units need to be flexible and that collaboration and not division is rewarding to patients. This measured and calm attitude shifted the problem into a learning experience, thus improving cooperation and the working relationship towards any subsequent modifications.
References
Konlan, K. D., Abdulai, J. A., Saah, J. A., Doat, A.-R., Amoah, R. M., Mohammed, I., & Konlan, K. D. (2023). The influence of conflicts among members of the clinical team on patient care; an explorative, descriptive study, Ghana.
Journal of Global Health Science,
5(1).
Meneses-La-Riva, M. E., Fernández-Bedoya, V. H., Suyo-Vega, J. A., Ocupa-Cabrera, H. G., Grijalva-Salazar, R. V., & Ocupa-Meneses, G. di D. (2025). Enhancing Healthcare Efficiency: The Relationship Between Effective Communication and Teamwork Among Nurses in Peru.
Nursing Reports,
15(2), 1–13.
